In recent decades, the world has witnessed significant leaps in technology. Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, space technology, genetic engineering, and even neural devices have become focal points for scientists and entrepreneurs. Elon Musk stands as one of the prominent figures embodying this drive toward technological innovation with companies ranging from Tesla for electric vehicles and SpaceX for space exploration to Neuralink, a project to connect the human brain to computers.
However, despite these major successes, many questions have arisen among Muslims regarding the impacts of these increasing ambitions, the extent to which these technologies align with Islam, and the boundaries of Musk’s ideas. Does he believe he has the power to create machines superior to humans? Does he think there are no limits to his abilities as a mere human?
Artificial Womb: Progress or an Intrusion on Motherhood?
One of Musk’s futuristic concepts is the artificial womb, which would allow embryos to grow outside the mother’s body through fertilizing an egg in a tube and then implanting it in an artificial womb. While this technique may help certain medical conditions, it raises social and ethical issues. With the West lacking ethical or religious standards and intellectual corruption spreading, the artificial womb could merely become another tool exploited for personal gain, representing another fatal blow inflicted from the West on the innate human nature.
According to a study by Dr. Silwan Qadri, a professor of comparative jurisprudence at the Faculty of Islamic and Arabic Studies for Girls in Alexandria, "It is not permissible for a woman to avoid natural pregnancy and childbirth due to fear, or for the sake of preserving beauty or physique, or for any reason as long as this does not harm her health or lead to her death. If natural pregnancy harms the mother or her health, then she may resort to legally permissible artificial means."
In the latest developments, it has been reported that the goat embryos experimented on in this manner died days after birth, despite growing in their mothers’ wombs except for the final three weeks before birth. After lengthy research, Muslim scholars reached two conclusions:
1. The idea is implausible: Humans cannot replicate a secure environment like the natural womb for the embryo to develop. Even if science were to achieve this, it is unlikely the embryo would emerge unharmed.
2. The likelihood of prohibition is strong due to the contravention of innate human nature and the considerable risk of harm.
This method has not yet been proven on humans, nor has its safety from harm been confirmed. If it is proven in human application, scholars have set conditions for its permissibility:
1. It must meet the conditions for permissible artificial insemination.
2. The tissues used in forming the artificial womb must be lawful, not forbidden, and derived solely from the husband and wife.
3. The procedure must be free from harm to the embryo.
4. Implanting the fertilized egg in the wife’s womb must be impossible.
"Post-Human" Vision
The "post-human" vision is part of a broad scientific and philosophical movement aimed at using technology to achieve radical improvements in human physical, mental, and even life span capacities. This trend seeks to enhance humanity overall by integrating technology with the body, such as implanting electronic chips in the brain, modifying genes, using artificial organs, and creating humanoid robots that perform human tasks at home, such as mowing the lawn, buying groceries, and possibly caring for the elderly—to the point of becoming companions or friends for their human owners. Musk affirmed this when he said that their goal is to produce a useful humanoid robot as quickly as possible because, ultimately, it may help millions of people. But the first robots will work in factories.
Musk aspires to design robots in the human body’s shape, but the challenge facing him and other companies aiming to create such robots is that they still lack a full understanding of how our human bodies carry out what they do. Even if they understand it, they are under the illusion that they can emulate the Creator and build machines that function like the human body!
The idea of controlling human traits, altering genes, and attempting continuous enhancement can lead to a sense of possessing absolute power or imitating the Creator. Allah says: "Or have they other deities who have ordained for them a religion to which Allah has not consented?" (Ash-Shura: 21), and “Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is, over all things, Disposer of affairs” (Az-Zumar: 62).
Even if the aim of robots is to increase productivity in factories, they could reduce human jobs in industry. Robots would work long hours without breaks, paid vacations, or concerns about low wages, unsafe working environments, company culture, bullying, or other human matters. Thus, robots may serve as tools that boost production rates but will also change the economic climate by eliminating numerous jobs currently performed by humans.
Ultimately, technology should adhere to fixed standards that limit its use to what benefits people without violating ethical and religious boundaries. Today’s technological and innovation issues raise profound questions about ethics and social responsibility, despite their advantages and potential. Islam does not oppose scientific progress; rather, it encourages it, but it sets boundaries intended to protect human dignity and avoid infringing upon divine creation.
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Sources:
- A Jurisprudential Study on Artificial Wombs by Dr. Silwan Kadri – Al-Azhar University
- Report on Elon Musk’s Genius, Midan Website
- Fatwas from "IslamQA"
- Al Jazeera: Elon Musk Reports
- TED
